100 Worlds, One Sky, One Destiny
by PisceanReve
Summary: 100 one-shots/drabbles about anyone and anywhere in Kingdom Hearts. I do take requests. I hope you enjoy them!
1. Dancing

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Kingdom Hearts, though I guess it's good I don't haha!

…

Dancing

…

Sora looked on as Jack and Sally danced in the dimly lit square of Halloween Town. There was no music, but somehow, it wasn't necessary. They turned slow, sweeping circles on the onyx cobblestone, which glowed faintly orange from the string of lanterns along the walls and gates of town. As they continued, he found himself feeling a wistful longing; they just seemed so…happy. Being a bit of a secret, hopeless romantic, himself, he couldn't help but wish to dance with the girl he loved, himself.

"Maybe I never gave her a real present after all," said Sora morosely, thinking of Sally's gift for Jack.

Goofy put his hands on the boy's shoulders in reassurance. "Aw I bet Kairi would like most anything you gave her."

"I know," replied Sora. "That's what made it so hard to decide."

"It's not the gift," remarked Donald, spreading his hands in a way that said his answer was obvious. "It's what's in your heart!" he finished, thumping his own.

"My heart…"

"You bet! Kairi's like Sally!"

"How?" Sora asked, puzzled.

"Well," Goofy chimed in, "as long as she can be with you, what else does she need?"

Sora smiled at the thought and looked at the loving oblivious couple. Halloween Town's finest pair. And suddenly, Kairi was there, in his mind's eye, doing the same little waltz with Sora. He grinned while she giggled, full of mirth. Laughing as if he had not left the islands and they were just having a nice, carefree time. He hadn't realized how much he had truly missed her until that moment.

Without knowing it, Sora was beaming and blushing from his daydreams. With a sheepish little laugh, he gazed at the sky, wondering when he might see Kairi once more.


	2. On the Twilit Tower

U.P. Hello! I meant to write a one-shot every day, but I've been busy with far more boring things, unfortunately. Anyways, I meant to update with a lighter fic, but I've lost about five of the ones I've already written in my notebook, so I'll just use this one (and its parallel next until I can find them). Eventually I'll find the fic that is a thank-you gift for reading (I'll give you a hint—it's about superglide in BBS). Thanks for reading!

On the Twilit Tower

Axel decided to take the lazy way to the top of the clock tower. After all, he _was _lugging an extra body that day. So with a snap, he had conjured a black swirling portal, which would get him to, hopefully, the place he usually sat in more peaceful days. Once there, he propped his companion up against the wall while he gazed below to Station Heights.

"In a way, I'm just like this town. Not light, not dark but somewhere in-between. Wouldn't you agree, Xion?"

Of course she was mute. It was kind of nice having someone to talk to that wouldn't even remember his words. If she started to wake up, his rudimentary magic was just strong enough to make her sleep again from her groggy state. If she was alert, however, he'd have a problem. Still, Axel was pretty sure that she'd be out for at least another half-hour.

He felt bad about hurting her, but he had had not choice. Xion would awaken feeling betrayed, and Roxas probably would too, on her behalf.

"I just want the three of us to live here in peace someday. No organization and we'll have all the hearts we could need. And you know, maybe Roxas will find a girlfriend and then you and me'll _have _to live together." He wondered what she would have responded if she was awake to hear him. "I know you probably like Roxas better. You two are alike in a lot of ways. Still…"

He broke off the sentence and sat in pensive silence while the wind blew through his flaming hair and the orange-washed clouds threatened rain.

"You know, I've heard the others talk about using you. You have some sort of purpose and they're saying you're not a real nobody. I'm gonna try and help you. When they least expect it, we'll escape. Only after Kingdom Hearts is complete, though. Then we can make off with our own hearts," he fantasized, though his trademark jaunty grin held a brief flash of pain before he frowned.

He wondered if having a heart would make him cry in that moment. Heart of not, pondering the future was just too painful.


	3. Parallel Confessions

Parallel Confessions

The Navy never land sky was bright and twinkling with stars. And what better a view can one have than on the biggest, most famous clock tower? According to that annoying captain, most people would do anything for the view from "Big Ben".

Riku arrived easily through the portals of darkness, though it cost energy to carry Kairi through as well. Maleficent had warned him to be careful; if he wasn't cautious, the darkness could overtake him. He always scoffed inwardly.

_My heart's too strong for that._

As if to prove his courage further, he stepped to the edge, arms supporting Kairi's knees and neck.

"Well, Kairi, look what I've come to. Stealing you way while you're asleep."

She didn't respond. Of course not.

"You know, I care about you so much that even though I know you'll go running back to Sora and forget about me, I still want your heart back."

Then, against his will, memories of the island flooded through him. Times the three had spent running, sword fighting, laughing…they had done everything together. His throat closed up and hisface stung in pinpoint tingles the way it always did before he—

No, he couldn't think those thoughts. He was there now, commander of the darkness.

"Kairi, even though I've realized what a traitor Sora is and even though I have you to myself now…is it bad if all I want to do is go back to how things were?"

He couldn't stand looking at her limp, lifeless body any longer. Why wouldn't she just smile and say his name again?

There were small voices in the back of his mind that said, _What if I'm the traitor? What if all of this…is my fault?_

He couldn't really remember leaving the islands, just opening the mysterious door and then feeling sheer exultation when the portal appeared to him with promises of otherworldly ventures.

"Why, Kairi? Why couldn't you have liked me more than him? He _replaced _us yet I know you'll still be in love with him," Riku mused, unable to keep pure bitterness from his voice.

Maleficent had said that the darkness was slowly wearing him down. Like she actually cared about him, as if he was really "like a son to her". Pshh…in this whole scheme of theirs, he knew that he could only count on himself.

"Alright, Kairi, our next stop is Hollow Bastion. I'll wait for Sora to show up and put an end to him no matter what."


	4. How Ven Got Superglide

P.R: *feels weird still not to go by U.P*: so hello! I wanted to update each day but due to annoying school work that's not quite possible :P Still, finally I've decided to write a present for my readers. If you follow Ven's path in this one-shot, you, too, will receive something special

How Ven Found Superglide

"Ooh, a sticker!" Ven exclaimed upon seeing the floating, golden crown in Aurora's castle. Normally, he wouldn't be excited if someone offered him a sticker, but these crown things that somehow managed to turn into stickers gave him rare prizes. "Hmmm…that's really high up. Good thing I returned from Neverland!"

Bounding up the red stairs, Ven readied himself to jump high and glide across. After a few failed attempts, he realized that he slowly descended during a glide and got too low by the time he could hover his way over there.

"If I could get there faster, I would be at the right height. Oh wait, these duck kids said something about superglide, but no one could get it. Now where is it again…?"

So after Ven arrived to Disney Town via keyblade, he grinned upon seeing all the cheery festivities. Here, there was always a promise of balloons, a mailbox that shot confetti, and fruits bigger than Ven, himself. But unfortunately, he had to go down into the creepy undergrounds. After batting off a few unversed, he cast a few lightning spells on that annoying machine that activated all the mechanisms above. So Ven hopped on the lift, gliding along the rotating cyclindrical structures and went into "Pete's rec room".

"Cool! I'm like a human pinball!"

After bouncing around and obtaining a cool skill that taught him how to break dance _(I__wonder__what__happens__if__I__meld__it__with__wind__raid?)_he went in the middle of the giant game and out the exit for some fresh ait. After a bit of rest under the perpetual Disney Town sun, he climbed on to a couple of wooden crates, peering over yonder.

"There it is!" It was a chest that no normal person could notice without a bit of…help. "I think I can make that."

Ven jumped high in the air and glided to that far ledge opposite him. He opened the chest and got….two high potions!

(Just kidding, he got superglide.)

*cue victory theme music*

P.R.: Heheh I promise my fics won't be this silly again XD


	5. Someone Missing

Someone Missing

"Looks like my summer vacation's…over."

Roxas resigned himself to the fate of fading back to Sora. It was so simple—a flash of light and then a feeling of dissolving into another will, yet one that could intermingle peacefully with his own. Maybe Sora would feel all the happiness he had felt in the past seven days with his friends. They felt so real, yet each was fabricated. Lies. All of them. The only truth lied in the black-washed dreams taking place in a city of eternal night under the sacred moon.

_If__only__I__was__meant__to__exist__…_

He gazed at the pure white pod and closed his eyes, ready for whatever would come next.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Roxas became one with Sora, his friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette sat in the Usual Spot on the hot summer day. Instead of eating ice cream on the clock tower (one of Hayner's ideas that seemed to have come from nowhere a few days earlier), they devoured their salty-sweet treat next to a blowing fan. Pence and Olette took the raggedy green couch, while Hayner threw darts to let off some daily steam. He threw haphazardly and Olette rebuked him when he almost hit her, but he couldn't stop angrily muttering about how they "hadn't been to the beach in ages!"

Rolling her eyes, she looked around, distracted by her thoughts while Pence chattered on about how long he kept a ball in the air for one of his odd-jobs. He always liked an audience, Olette noticed with a smile. But suddenly it was quiet. Pence stopped mid-sentence and Hayner froze, dart still in hand, ready to throw. Olette felt something squeeze at her chest. She wanted to cry without knowing why. To her surprise, she actually felt a tear rolling down her cheek and brushed it away quickly before the others would see. However, they were too preoccupied, themselves.

"Did you all just…feel that?" asked Pence, a bit stunned.

The other two nodded solemnly.

"It was kind of like something happened, something big. But I don't know what…," remarked Hayner. He was using his unusually quiet sort of voice that Olette had only heard when he was really upset.

She remained quiet. She could suddenly name this shared feeling.

Loss.

She felt it as strongly as if she had lost Hayner or Pence forever. The loss of an unknown friend. Somehow she knew it was a close one, but…who? Her closest friends were right there.

_Who__are__you?__And__how__do__I__know__you?_

So the boys eventually went back to whatever they were doing, but Olette just sat there, ice cream melting as she clutched the forgotten treat. Melting away under the bright light over-head.

_I__feel__like__someone__else__should__be__with__us._

How sad she felt that she could not shake the feeling. Someone was missing from Twilight Town.

And now he was gone forever.


	6. Dear Rinoa

Dear Rinoa

Dear Rinoa,

I got your letter a few days ago. I'm so happy to hear you're doing well. Are you still around the outer gardens? I remember you always visited Edea there and improved your sorcery. I was really hoping you'd come back soon, but take your time—I want you to feel confident in your abilities. You know, so much has happened in the past couple years—some of it being when we were separated by the darkness. I met this really energetic kid who wields the "keyblade". Basically, the fate of all the worlds was in the hands of a 14-year-old. I actually knocked him out when I first met him, but we're friends now. Long story. Anyways, he and a duck and a dog-guy named Goofy were helping their king look for the kid so they teamed up and eventually defeated the guy who destroyed our world. The kid's probably reunited with his friends at home by now.

So the Hollow Bastion—well, Radiant Gardens, now—Restoration Committee lost three members, but you should visit soon and see how we're coming along. Those Heartless really did a number on this place. If you lived with me, you could see its daily progress and be in the center of things. Aren't you bored out there? There's so much I need to show you! Go master those thundaga spells quickly now.

Love,

Squall

P.S. Guess what? I go by Leon now, though I might drop that sooner or later.


	7. Just a Nobody

Just a Nobody

XXX

Were Nobodies supposed to have hearts? Namine pondered as she drew more and more pictures to piece together Sora's memories while he slept. She stayed up all night because he would awaken in just one week. And then Roxas wouldn't be his own person anymore. He was the one who spurred her wonder. Through her gift, she saw each painful memory inside his heart before delinking a few. How he cried over Xion's death and the anger of belonging to another. Then the loneliness of being cast away as one who opposed the Organization, belonging neither to those with nor without hearts. The _true _nobody.

As she sat in this room of pure white in the mansion, Namine reflected that she had also felt the terrible loneliness and despair when Marluxia and the other rebellious members had threatened to keep her locked away inside the castle forever. Maybe Nobodies were made to believe they had no hearts because it was widely known, but what if that was just everyone creating their existence, so much so that they ignored their own feelings. Or perhaps she, Roxas, and even Axel were just special because they were born of exceptionally strong individuals.

As she continued sketching a picture of Roxas and Axel, best of friends, in their black cloaks—an old memory—Diz walked in to check on her progress and micromanage as usual. "Namine, how much longer?"  
>"I-I'm working as fast as I can. I just need a bit more time," she said in her usual meek little voice.<p>

She kept her eyes always on the colors swirling about the paper, hearing him scoff in impatience and sternly exit the room without so much as a word of encouragement or concern for her health that she was up at impossible hours getting this done. Namine was happy too, of course, but sometimes she just wanted to scream.

Scream at DIZ for calling her a witch and treating her like some sort of tool and treating her less than human.

Scream at Riku for going along with everything and continuing to obey DIZ even when it hurt her inside, or made her feel like a bird trapped in a cage. She couldn't do or say as she wanted because it might interrupt DIZ's oh-so-glorious master plan.

And then after all of this loneliness and smothering, she was to just return to her original self, like a drop of water to the sea. Her being would exist, but Kairi would control her will.

Not that anyone ever cared about Nobodies in the first place…

XXX


	8. Reflection of Confliction

P.R: Hmmm….ok last Riku reflection I promise. See I don't know how this worked out. For some reason I find writing about him almost…therapeutic? because I find so much of myself in him. Even when I'm no longer in a similar situation, we have a similar mind-set, personality, and way we approach the world. So I suppose I just like delving into how I imagine his thoughts to be. "Release", my earlier chapter was written over a year ago, and I have another that was like third on this list? So, yes, my final reflection. I hope it's alright. Indulge me a little. Rant over.

XXX

Reflection of Confliction

XXX

On a floating stalactite of Hollow Bastion's Rising Falls, a boy of fifteen who commanded the darkness journeyed to the center of his own mind. On his conquest in his pure intention to regain the heart of the girl he loved, though, the love was unrequited. Perhaps the intention wasn't completely pure. After the ordeal was over and he restored her heart, she would take him as her knight in shining armor, the one who truly loved her. How did that boy, who used to be his best friend before casting him away for new ones, how did _he _of all people deserve the girl, whose hair was as red as the sun at sunrise?

_But now I have the keyblade to destroy him. I've found my way to dawn._

Surprisingly, he found little pleasure in it now. No more spiteful actions to become the victor. Now all he felt was a sort of fatigue that came with bitter triumph. A notion weighing down on his soul that he had turned from victim to traitor as his motivations steadily became…corrupted. That small taste of power mingling with bitter jealousy had corroded his heart with darkness. But it just wasn't _fair._

Sora had everything! No matter what, his life had been easy, all he did was follow his heart. While Riku felt like an outsider looking in most of the time, Sora just showed up and everyone loved him, especially Kairi. Riku had been one of those people once. It was impossible not to want to friends with a person with such a huge frin and optimistic outlook on life. And to top it all off, he had gotten the keyblade, given to him by the same unknown force who had ripped it from his own destiny. Wasn't it _he _who had been chosen all those years ago?

Still, it was hard not to reminisce without a saddening nostalgia. Lately, his mind had been flooded with memories of those days back on the island. Like those times play sword-fighting. Back when the consequences were nothing more than losing a few points in their ever-lasting rivalry system. Or that day Sora pushed him in the water. Riku was startled and sputtering, and ran to retaliate with a dunking of his own. Eventually they were splashing each other, running around the dock area as he cahsed him. Finally, Riku caught him in a choke hold as they both laughed…He hadn't laughed like that in a long time. Maybe the darkness really _had _gotten to him. It was hard sometimes, living in the constant gloom of Hollow Bastion. Even when he did go out into the daily sunshine, something within him just wanted to retreat back into the cocoon of darkness. He realized just a little while after Sora came that Maleficent would never give Kairi her heart back. He just wanted to chosen boy on her side.

Looking into the small pool just near the top of the Falls, he recoiled at his own reflection of a ruthless, cold yet raging young man.

_What have I become?  
><em>But it was too late to do anything now. He had given himself, his power to the mysterious hooded man after losing to Sora and his annoying little companions. The boost of strength had been, at first, exhilarating, but now he could feel the man's power increasing within him, taking over his being. His body was stiff and hard to move now, as if his muscles were struggling to obey his brain. And then, Riku's heart was no longer in Hollow Bastion.


	9. Eternal Dancing

P.R. Alright, so one thing annoyed me about my Roxas fic: for some reason the words all mashed together without spaces. How does that even happen? But anyways, on to the next one about Terra and Aqua. Sorry for another one that has "dancing" in the title.

...

Eternal Dancing

…

Aqua didn't particularly like dancing. As the sea of suits and beautiful ballroom dresses twirled and waltzed about the room, she knew that she'd only be a clumsy rock, deterring their fluid motions. Still, Aqua couldn't help but smile a little when she saw how utterly blissful Cinderella looked as she danced with her Prince Charming. With a sigh, part of her wished it was her there with that special someone.

"My lady, you look ravishing," said a young man, suddenly appearing before her.

She had to admit that she _did_ look nicer after changing into a pretty gown lent to her by a lady in waiting for defending the castle. It was a nice peach color, bringing out the rosiness of her skin tone, while its corset accentuated her petite waist.

_Looks like I might get my wish after all._

"Why, thank you," she replied politely, thinking that she would maybe do well in old, high societies like these.

"You do not seem like the others, my lady," he declared, kneeling to kiss her hand.

Aqua could feel a strong blush coming on, but hoped he wouldn't notice.

"You are most beautiful with tresses like the sky."

"Oh, ah, I'm flattered," Aqua replied, stuttering a bit in surprise.

"It is the truth," he insisted. He seemed quite charming and he was certainly very handsome, but there was something about him that was…off. Perhaps it was the way he stood a little too close to her, especially compared to the polite distance men seemed to keep from women here. When she took a subtle step backwards, he took one forwards.

"Now, I do believe it is quite stuffy in here. Would you like to go outside in the royal gardens?"

"I-I don't know if we should…" she responded, avoiding his penetrating gaze.

"I insist, they are quite lovely at night."

"We're in a ballroom, perhaps we should dance instead?"

The man's pleasant smile fell as his expression became thoroughly disappointed. "I do not care to dance."

Yes, there was definitely a darkness about him that Master Eraqus had taught her to spot. "Maybe another time, then," Aqua responded coldly.

"I am afraid, my lady, that rejections do not suit me," he said, grabbing her tightly by the elbow while wearing an angry expression on his face.

As she looked around for help, only one woman seemed to notice what was happening, but when Aqua noticed her, she pretended she hadn't seen a thing and diverted her attention to the dancers. Aqua sighed. She could, of course, go outside and defeat him easily, but she really wanted to keep a watch on all these people in case the Unversed decided to come back. Just as she was about to signal for a guard to escort him out, Aqua saw the floor shadowed with a presence behind her while her suitor paled slightly.

_What now? _she wondered.

"I think she told you to leave," said a very familiar voice behind her.

She turned around with a grin to face her best friend looking very different, but definitely very good in an old-fashioned suit, tailcoat and all, fitting to this time.

"Terra, you're here!"

"And who might _you_ be?" the man asked with a sneer.

"Oh, me? I'm her…fiancé," he replied. Aqua could hear the mischievous amusement in his voice that only she could recognize, having known him all her life. However, everyone else would hear the most serious solemnity.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."

"Gladly. Remaining here any longer would be an insult to my reputation." Glaring, he walked off coldly, scanning the crowd for more unattached women. Aqua wondered whether to stop him, but then figured he was sort of a coward and not much of a threat; his next target could deal with him if she was stubborn enough.

"What a liar, I wasn't special in any way," Aqua blurted out loud before remembering Terra was standing right there. "I mean…not that I cared."

With a half-smile, he replied, "Well, _I_ think you're special." He said this with a quiet jauntiness, teasing, but maybe not completely.

Aqua could feel the goofy grin that was usually accompanied by a blush making its way to her face, so she smothered it playfully and whacked his shoulder. "Oh, you."

"Fine, don't believe me," he said with a soft laugh. "Care to dance then?"

She finally let herself smile broadly as she took his hand. "It would be my pleasure, good sir."

They fell in step perfectly, spinning around and forgetting they weren't the only ones there. Since Aqua needed some work, Terra did most of the leading, though where he learned this was a mystery.

"Where did you learn to dance so well?"

He chuckled. "Right now, with you."

So he was a natural, Aqua noted, pursing her lips enviously. "I must be an amazing teacher then."

"Yeah, you're decent," he teased.

"Just decent? Thanks a lot!" But she laughed to tell him she was joking. "You know, seriously, I like being here with you. It's…calming."  
>"Calming?"<p>

"Umm-hmm." _When I'm with you, it's as all my troubles are forgotten. I almost wouldn't mind if time just stood still. Eternal dancing doesn't sound _too _bad._


	10. A Good Type of Salt

…..

A Good Type of Salt

….

Hayner's gang had always hated Seifer . He wasn't a terribly horrible person, but he could definitely use some manners. He acted like a jerk a lot of the time, but sometimes…he could be really nice. Olette noticed this and, more and more, grew to like him in a way. Then, she began to fall in love with him. It felt extremely random and unwanted to her too. Yet, as time went by, she developed feelings for him every time she saw him, which was often in such a small little town. She told no one. Pence would probably laugh, but like a teasing friend who still wanted her to be happy with whatever she chose. Well, he sure would find them an interesting and amusing couple. Hayner….? Oh God, she didn't even want to guess what he'd say!

_Sometimes I wish that I had a girl for a friend. Then, I could tell her all this stuff. We could figure out all our girl problems together. Then again, the reason I'm only friends with boys is because I _don't _care about girl stuff._

She sighed. She tried to forget about Seifer, but when she wasn't thinking, she found herself staring at him and stopped herself as soon as she realized. One time, though, he caught her and raised a questioning eyebrow. She turned away, blushing.

_Agh, I'm sure he knows now!_

She tried to decide what it was exactly that she liked about him. She analyzed him rationally, albeit it critically, and could only settle on his looks. He had the potential to be a nice guy and smart, too, but for now Olette saw jerky Seifer…though she did like his smile.

_Well, I guess I should do something about it, right? I can't just keep staring at him when I think he isn't looking!_

So the next day as she was once again dragging Pence with her to shop on Market Street she saw the familiar tall blond walking with the reticent Fuu and generally brainless Rai as usual. She wondered if they ever went anywhere without each other. Well, anyways, now was her chance! Her heart began to quicken and her palms began to dampen. As she was coming down the orange-bricked slope, she waited for the right time and cheerily squeaked, "Hello, Seifer!"

He looked up, a little confused and replied, "Oh, uh, hey." His permanent scowl was the exact opposite of Olette's bright smile.

Once he was out of hearing range, Pence asked curiously with a grin, "Since when do _you _talk to Seifer of all people?"

Olette shrugged, trying her reactions more casual. "I just like to be polite, that's all."

"Sure, sure. So why are you so _red_?" he teased.

Putting her face down, she walked to her favorite outdoor smoothie shop and ordered a strawberry-banana one.

"I'm just kidding, Olette. We all know you wouldn't go for someone like Seifer," he said with a laugh, which Olette mirrored nervously.

"Hey, can I get you a smoothie?" she offered, changing the subject. "My treat."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm saving my stomach for ice-cream."

"Oh, right! We should meet Hayner soon!"

After buying some sea-salt ice-cream and dropping off a bag of shoes that she bought with Pence a little while later at home, she re-met Pence and Hayner on top of the clocktower. This was one of their favorite spots, discovered when they spotted a blond boy and a redhead both dressed in black, just eating ice-cream, talking, and laughing. Pence saw them first and sometimes said he wished he could join them. However, the last time they looked up there, the blond boy was alone and the memory of what happened to him after that was slightly fuzzy. And they never saw him again. After that, Hayner told them to meet there sometimes, always with the deliciously salty-sweet ice-cream.

"Hey, Olette, done getting ever more clothes?" Hayner greeted teasingly.

"I only got shoes and a smoothie this time!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"_And _she said hi to Seifer!" Pence informed. Olette elbowed him in the ribs and rolled her eyes, waiting for a lecture.

"To Seifer? Sometimes you're _too _nice, Olette."

"I don't know, I mean, he's not _that _bad."

He frowned and compromised, "He's definitely not the nicest guy out there. Take me, for example, I'm way nicer than Seifer-"

Pence snorted, to which Hayner replied, "Who asked you, anyways?"

"So," Olette began trying to keep her tone as hypothetical as possible, "what would you do if I said I _liked _him?"

"Whoa, Olette's got a crush! When's _that_ ever happened?" Pence joked, keeping the conversation light because Hayner, to the friends' surprise, hadn't said anything. He just looked down at the Station Plaza thoughtfully.

"No, that's not—alright, I guess I do a little bit…" her voice trailed off as she looked off into Twilight Town's eternal sunset.

Finally, Hayner exhaled a sigh and asked, "How did that ever happen? He's always—I thought you didn't like him just like me and Pence."

"Well…at first he annoyed me a little because he's so rude to us,, but now when I look at him, I see nice qualities for some reason even though I try not to," she studied her shoes as she said all of this.

"Hmph, well, don't expect me to stop you or anything. You know, I think I'm gonna head home. All this ice-cream is giving me an ulcer."

"I guess I'll go too," said Pence, standing up and brushing off his knees. "I need to finish the project on that dead guy who used to live in that old mansion."

"Sounds like a blast," Hayner replied sarcastically, back already turned to walk away. When Pence had walked past him, he stopped and turned around. "Hey, Olette, just be careful, alright? Like I said, he's not the nicest guy and I don't want you getting hurt."

She nodded slowly, knowing Hayner rarely showed he cared through words. "I know. Thank you, Hayner," she replied slowly.

He returned a nod of his own and walked away, leaving Olette alone for three strikes on the clocktower and a damp wooden stick that held the ice-cream in her stomach. As she finally walked home, she decided to be assertive. She was the task-master of the trio, right? The achiever, the one who got things done. Seifer might not have feelings for her now, but he could, right?

_Maybe a date would change his mind, _she thought, unable to help herself from smiling while thinking about it. And besides, the sooner she got an answer out of him, the less energy her brain would dedicate to wondering.

…

The next morning, on Sunday, she went to get another smoothie, lingering purposely near the path leading to the sandlot where Seifer, Rai, Fuu liked to hang out. As soon as she saw him and he came near, she said, "Hello, Seifer, how are you?"

"Uh, good, you?"

"Great," she replied with a smile.

"Cool," he said before continuing on.

He sighed. Not quite what she had been expecting, but it was a start.

Olette continued to greet him in the same cheerful manner, getting the same, bored, Seifer-ish tone in return. Finally, the fall dance was nearing, so, against her rational brain, she forced her hands and knees not to shake and approached him.

"Hey, Seifer, so, um, the fall dance is coming up and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" she didn't sound as confident as she wanted, but didn't think he'd notice much.

"Um, I'm actually already going with someone else. Sorry, Olette," he replied, walking away before she could even respond with an, "Oh, that's okay…"

But on the wind blowing in her direction, she caught the words, "Yeah, she's like in love with me or something. I always see her looking at me and she's like everywhere trying to talk to me."

The last part was a bit of an exaggeration of her over-eager greetings/occasional small talk, but it hurt sharply. It was as if her chest had constricted and a terrible weight had settled in her body. It was at the moment that she realized how much she truly liked him. But why? The heart was strange, she knew. It was the only explanation. Before she knew it, she began to cry and, then, ran to hide her tears. She fled to the clocktower. It was her refuge, her safe place where she could pour out all her emotions in private.

_I'm so stupid, and here I thought he could be nice. What a jerk, _she thought bitterly.

And yet here she was still crying over him, watching a salty teardrop fall all the way down until it made a tiny splash on the orange bricks, but it was too far away to see by then. Now she wanted to taste sea-salt ice-cream, a good kind of salt. Olette always hated becoming emotional over things her brain found a waste of time. While going on her mental tirade, she didn't even hear footsteps approaching until he sat down right next to her.

"Hey," he said in a tone that was rare for him. "You were spacing out, so I'm glad I didn't startle you enough to fall off."

"Hayner, what are you doing here?" She was happy that she was done crying enough to speak normally.

"Well, first, I tried your house, then the usual spot, then I thought to look here. Third time's the charm, I guess."

She nodded pensively, arms hugging the knees against her chest.

"I heard Seifer—I went there because I had to tell you something important and Pence told me where you went. But he was pretty loud, so after seeing you leave I went up to him and punched him right in the face, saying, 'That one's for Olette!...And just because you always piss me off.'" He smiled proudly.

Olette couldn't help but smile, herself, as she imagined the scene. "Thanks, Hayner."

"Don't even listen to that guy, really. There's a reason he only has two friends."

"But you only have two friends, too!" said Olette with a laugh.

"Yeah, but everybody still _likes _us."

"True, we're nice people," she nodded and looked wistfully as the sky. Hayner just wished she'd smile and cheer up, but that would take a little while.

"Hey, Olette, um…well, since neither of us have a date to the dance, would you mind…going with me?"

He'd actually planned to ask her that day, which was coincidentally the day she confessed her crush on Seifer, and then cursed his bad luck.

She didn't answer immediately, so one second felt like a long minute. "I've actually liked you for awhile and I know you probably don't want to hear that right now, but I thought you'd want to know," he blurted, then felt the heat rise to his face.

_Jeez, I must sound like an idiot._

"I'd love to, Hayner," she replied interrupting his self-deprication.

"Really? That's great-! I mean, cool."

She giggled, making him smile. He was glad he could get a laugh out of her. Then, she leaned her head on his shoulder and sat in moments of quiet discussion and warm silences under the twinkling twilit sky.

"Hayner, what was that really important thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh that? I just needed to borrow five dollars."


	11. Embarassment

P.R. Hello again! I've been gone for quite a long time, haven't I? I remember when I used to update a chapter fic weekly. Now I have nowhere near the commitment level I had for an actual progressive story as opposed to one-shots. Well, anyways, I've decided to use a random word generator for prompts—just for fun!

So our first random word is: embarrassment! I probably should have had more fun with that when writing the fic, but it's a drabble and I didn't want to make anything too painful for the characters XD

…

….

"Kairi, there you are!" should a fourteen-year-old Sora, funning excitedly on the shore, kicking up sand in his path. "I need to ask you some-!"

And suddenly he landed flat on his stomach with a painful thud. The soft sand was surprisingly hard. Looking up, he saw a grinning Riku. And, of course, Kairi decided to turn around to the sound of his voice just as he "fell".

"Hey, wait a sec, Rku! You tripped me!" exclaimed Sora, jabbing an accusatory finger at his friend, who raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, did I? Sorry about that," he replied, trying to stifle a laugh, but failing. "You're so red!"

"Thanks a lot…" Sora said, feeling slightly betrayed.

"Sora! Are you okay?" Kairi called, running over to him.

"I guess…" the boy replied grumpily.

She giggled. "Clumsy as usual, Sora. What are we going to do with you? Oh, so what did you want to ask me?"

"Never mind," he responded, glaring at Riku who pretended to gaze solemnly at the waves on the horizon. "Maybe I'll tell you later."


	12. Ambitions of Mastery

Ambitions of Mastery

Prompt word: marveling

….

….

Putting his wooden keyblade aside, Ven summoned his Wayward Wind as means of showing off, of course, to the awestruck redhead to his left. His gasp as it appeared suddenly in his hand made Ven grin as he stood up to perform a few back-hand forms Master Eraqus had taught him. So long ago, it seemed. So much so, that Ven was beginning to think time was measured by the gravity of one's experiences and personal growth as opposed to by minutes and days.

_Great, now I'm starting to think weird stuff like Terra. I guess friends start to rub off on you eventually._

As his new friend, Lea, marveled at the sleek weapon, Ven held it out to him and said, "Here, wanna try? If you can hold it without it disappearing, you could be a keyblade master one day."

"You bet!" he replied, bounding up to grab hold. When it remained in his hand for a good amount of time, Lea whooped. "Awesome! I want a keyblade someday."

"I wish you could see where I grew up. There's my two best-friends, one's already a master—well, I don't know what to call them now…" Ven's sentence drifted off. "Ah, anyways, that's where we train."

Lea nodded with resolve. "Okay, Ven. I promise one day I'll find a master and we'll fight and train together soon!"

"That would be great! And once I straighten things out with Terra and Aqua, I'll introduce you to them. We could be a team," Ven replied, beaming.

He couldn't wait.


	13. The Mermaid Princess

"Wow….Destiny Islands has so much sand!" Five-year-old Kairi exclaimed with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah," replied Riku, returning her smile with a softer one of his own.

"What do we do with it?"

"Well, sometimes I bury Sora in it—not his head, though," he added upon seeing her violet eyes widen. "It's fun. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka do it too! Since you're a girl, do you wanna be a mermaid?"

"What's that?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"It's half-person and half-fish. The pictures of them are pretty," Riku explained.

With a bright "Okay!" in response, they went to work. Well, Kairi lied down in the sand while they talked and Riku piled sand on her, if that counted as working. After a little while, he formed the tail.

"I wish the sand was purple so I could have a purple tail," Kairi mused.

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

Then, an interruption.

"Hey! What're you guys doing?" shouted an excited Sora, who bounded towards them like a puppy.

"Riku is making me into a mermaid!" Kairi called back.

"Aw, c'mon, don't you wanna swim today?"

"That's okay, we're having fun here—" Riku responded.

But Kairi jumped out, shedding her mermaid skin, and ran over to their spiky-haired companion, leaving Riku to stand, looking down at what was left of their creation. Gone in a flash.

"Riku, c'mon!" they both yelled from the knee-deep water.

He looked at them and replied, "Maybe later!" then left for the secret place, or somewhere else to hang out without them until his dad could take him home. Why did Sora have to come along and ruin his day?


	14. Senior Heroes?

Prompt word: certificate (btw last week's prompt word was mermaid)

…..

Senior Heroes?

….

"You know," Sora mused casually to Donald and Goofy on the gummi ship, hands clasped behind his head in contentment, "Phil never gave us our hero certificate."

"Gawrsh, Sora, do ya think we really deserve it?" asked Goofy.

"Sure we do! Weren't those constellations of us enough proof?"

"Nah, Phil only certifies strong people like Hercules. You might not qualify," Donald suggested, snickering, but pointing to Sora's arms without taking his eyes off the path between worlds.

"Hey! I might not have muscles like Herc, but I have plenty of strength inside," he proclaimed, beating a fist to his heart. "And that's all that counts, right?"

His friends said, "Of course!" one enthusiastically, one in mock-sarcasm.

"But…I still kinda want to move up from junior hero, so let's go back!"

With a sigh, but inwardly chuckling, Donald turned the gummi ship around.


End file.
